ENUFF Z’NUFF Drummer Ricky Parent Dies
ENUFF Z’NUFF drummer Ricky Parent passed away yesterday (Saturday, October 27) after a long battle with cancer.
According to antiMUSIC, Ricky Parent was born in Passaic, New Jersey. His spent his childhood in New Jersey and New York before he headed to Los Angeles to follow his rock n’ roll dream. Ricky was just five years old when realized his love for the drums. One day he was in the yard playing football when he heard a marching band playing down the street. Mesmerized by the sound he found himself following it to discover what was creating that beat. Once he found out, he was hooked and like many young aspiring drummers he first turned to the ready made drum set in any household; pots and pans. Seeing the young drummer in the making he was giving his first drum set, a Mickey Mouse toy set which fueled his dream for a short while before he destroyed it. He then graduated to a Del Ray set that was covered in black contact paper but had cymbals and a snare. From there he pursued his passion with a vengeance, learning his craft from a combination of lessons, drum clinics, but primarily learning from records and songs on the radio.
“My main influence is probably John Bonham,” Ricky wrote on his Myspace page. “But I’ve gone through a bunch of phases from jazz Buddy Rich, Tony Williams, etc. progressive rock Terry Bozzio, Simon Phillips to Ringo to Ansley Dunbar, etc pretty much listened with an open mind soaking up what I admired and working it into my own.”
Like many of his generation when the time came to follow his muse in rock n’ roll he headed to Los Angeles. He was quickly established as world-class drummer and got his first high profile gig with WAR & PEACE, a band fronted by Jeff Pilson after he left DOKKEN that also featured Tommy Henricksen (P.O.L.) and Russ Parrish (HALFORD, FIGHT). The band was short-lived and disbanded after grunge revolution made it hard for them to get noticed. When Vince Neil left MÖTLEY CRÜE, Ricky was called on to lay down some drum tracks for Vince’s solo project. Ironically, Neil would soon hire away ENUFF Z’NUFF drummer Vikki Foxx.
At the time Ricky was playing in a jam band with Paul Gilbert and when word went out that ENUFF Z’NUFF were looking for a new drummer, Gilbert and Mike Varney the head of WAR & PEACE’s label Shrapnel Records, recommended Ricky to the band. He soon after relocated to the band’s home base of Chicago becoming an official member in 1992 where he was a mainstay of the group on stage and in the studio until 2004 when he took a leave of absence after being diagnosed with cancer.
Over the years Ricky was involved in other bands and projects including a brief stint with Alice Cooper as well as playing with Sass Jordan and Tod Howarth (FREHLEY’S COMET).
It’s a sad night at the Hard Rock Hideout. My Condolences to the Parent Family.
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You will be remembered as one of music’s finest .See you up there some day brother.
Ricky, You were the best Teacher I ever Had. You taught me alot about PLAYING THE DRUMS. You will ALWAYS be in my HEART… RIP Ricky Parent….I Love You and Miss You.
Ricky, like many others, I did not know anything about this until today. The one day I met you and got your autograph in Houston 2003, I will never forget. You were one of the sweetest guys on the planet, and you will be depply missed.
i just heard about this today:( 4 years too late. RIP Ricky! we hung out in 2003 and u were a great,nice,friendly guy. We enjoyed hanging out with you and PBF in San Antonio. RIP! so sad this happened:(
Ricky u were one of the nicest smiliest people. U R still missed
Dear Ricky,
I’m just finding out of your passing, much like others who left comments. I loved your band Enuff Z’Nuff and still listen and sing along to them in my car to this very day. I never met you or even saw you perform, but I have a good sense of the wonderful person you were. It broke my heart when I heard you were ill, but then hadn’t heard anything more about it. Naturally, I was hoping to read about a quick and miraculous recovery for you, but I’m here; broken-hearted all over again. I also hope our paths cross in heaven, someday.
Ricky…it’s been two years since your passing and I’m just finding out about it today, conincidentally, on October 27th, 2009. I didn’t know you or ever see you play, but I followed your band, Enuff Znuff since its early days. Peace be with you brother. Hope to run into you in Heaven.
It’s Late but it’s heart felt – because I just found this site…. Ricky was one of the BEST drummers, hands down that I ever played with. I miss him dearly.
Tod Howarth…. of
707
Ted Nugent
Cheap Trick
Ace Frehley’s Comet